Delhi's AQI to Cross 300? 'Poor' Air Leads to Pre-Diwali Smog; Docs Foresee Rise in Lung Diseases
Delhi, which saw clean air during the preceding monsoon months this year, recorded poor air quality ahead of Diwali with the air quality index (AQI) falling to 262 on Friday. With the approaching winter, the air quality is further expected to dwindle as the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has predicted that the AQI of the national capital region may exceed 300-mark on Saturday. Visuals from India Gate on Saturday showed a blanket of smog engulfing the national capital as the overall AQI remained in the poor category. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai also said that experts are of the view that pollution levels may increase in Delhi after Diwali if the wind direction changes. Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution average for the July-August-September quarter this year stood at 37 microgram per cubic metre, only marginally higher than the five-year low of 36 microgram per cubic metre recorded during 2020, according to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Pollution levels in the July-August-September quarter were preceded by one of the most polluted summers this year, unlike in 2020 when the trimester followed the cleanest ever summer (March-May) due to extraordinary conditions created because of hard pandemic lockdowns, the think tank said.
